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Hospital radio comes to Darlington

Patients at Darlington Memorial
Hospital can now listen to hospital radio thanks to the hard work
of volunteers and generous donations from the local
community.

Volunteers have been
broadcasting from Bishop Auckland Hospital for 40 years, having
started in 1978, and the service expanded in 2005 to include
listeners at The Richardson Hospital, Barnard Castle. Fundraising
by the hospital radio volunteers and financial support from County
Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust's charity has led to
the development of a second studio, based at Darlington Memorial
Hospital.

Station Chairman, Craig
Robinson, who combines his volunteer role with working in the
Trust's IT department, said, "We're delighted to be expanding our
service to benefit patients, staff and visitors to Darlington
Memorial Hospital and have changed the station's name from
'Auckland Hospital Radio' to 'Prince Bishops Hospital Radio', to
mark the occasion. We
havearound 15 volunteers
who work hard to bring entertainment to the bedside, via
headphones, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The service is
entirely free.

"We're very excited that
patients at Darlington Memorial Hospital will now benefit from our
service. Patients at
our other sites really seem to appreciate how 'close to home' we
are and that they can request a dedication for a fellow patient or
member of staff.

"Families can contact us to
request a mention for a loved one who's a patient, along with a
favourite record and we also broadcast an hourly news
bulletin. As a
registered charity the station doesn't receive any funding and
relies on donations and money we raise ourselves.

"County Durham and Darlington
NHS Foundation Trust has shown great support to us over the past 40
years and continue to recognise the value that hospital radio can
bring to the patient experience. We're also very grateful to the
Trust's Charity for its financial support.

Noel Scanlon, executive director
of nursing, said, "We're very lucky to have a team of dedicated
volunteers committed to bringing a radio service to our hospitals
in Bishop Auckland, Barnard Castle and now Darlington, to benefit
patients and colleagues. The very personal nature of the service
will support the sense of community within the hospital and provide
much needed diversion and stimulation to patients in hospital for
short and long periods as well as providing entertainment in
communal areas in various parts of the hospital."

The Trust's Charity development
manager, Pat Chambers, said, "We're delighted to help bring
hospital radio to Darlington Memorial Hospital, offering a very
personal service for our patients. This is exactly the kind of
project the charity is keen to support"

Ends

Published 10th January
2019

'The treatment I have received from all the staff has been
excellent and could you extend my thanks to them all. A very
thankful and relieved patient'.

Patient, Dermatology Outpatients Department, University Hospital
of North Durham